Optical design for line generation using microlens array

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus for thermally processing a semiconductor substrate. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a substrate support, a beam source having a fast axis for emitting a beam along an optical path intersecting the substrate support, and a homogenizer disposed along the optical path between the beam source and the substrate support. The homogenizer comprises a first lens array, and a second lens array, wherein lenses of the second lens array have a larger lenslet array spacing than lenses of the first lens array.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/649,028, filed on Oct. 10, 2012, which claims benefit ofU.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/555,938, filed Nov. 4,2011, all of which are incorporated by reference in their entiretytherein.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Disclosure

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to thermalprocessing of semiconductor substrates. In particular, the disclosurerelates to laser thermal processing of semiconductor substrates.

2. Description of the Related Art

Thermal processing is required in the fabrication of silicon and othersemiconductor integrated circuits formed in silicon wafers or othersubstrates such as glass panels for displays. The required temperaturesmay range from relatively low temperatures of less than 250° C. togreater than 1000° C., 1200° C., or even 1400° C. and may be used for avariety of processes such as dopant implant annealing, crystallization,oxidation, nitridation, silicidation, and chemical vapor deposition aswell as others.

For the very shallow circuit features required for advanced integratedcircuits, it is desired to reduce the total thermal budget in achievingthe required thermal processing. The thermal budget may be considered asthe total time at high temperatures necessary to achieve the desiredprocessing temperature. The time that the wafer needs to stay at thehighest temperature can be very short. For example, Rapid thermalprocessing (RTP) uses radiant lamps which can be very quickly turned onand off to heat only the wafer and not the rest of the chamber. Pulsedlaser annealing using very short (about 20 ns) laser pulses is effectiveat heating only the surface layer and not the underlying wafer, thusallowing very short ramp up and ramp down rates.

A more recently developed approach in various forms, sometimes calledthermal flux laser annealing or dynamic surface annealing (DSA), uses atapered light pipe and anamorphic imaging optics to generate veryintense beams of light that strike the wafer as a thin long line ofradiation. The line is then scanned over the surface of the wafer in adirection perpendicular to the long dimension of the line beam. However,it has been reported that the light pipe used to homogenize and scalethe image along the slow axis (i.e., the line length direction) isfragile, difficult to manufacture, and subject to misalignment to theother optics in the system.

Therefore, there is a need for a more efficient and economical opticalsystem for projecting a laser line image that is less sensitive toalignment errors and less fragile.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to thermal processing ofsemiconductor substrates. In one embodiment, a thermal processingapparatus for processing a semiconductor substrate is provided. Theapparatus includes a substrate support, a beam source having a fast axisfor emitting a beam along an optical path intersecting the substratesupport, and a homogenizer disposed along the optical path between thebeam source and the substrate support. The homogenizer comprises a firstlens array, and a second lens array, wherein lenses of the second lensarray have a larger lenslet array spacing than lenses of the first lensarray.

In another embodiment, a thermal processing apparatus for processing asemiconductor substrate is provided. The apparatus includes a substratesupport, an array of laser diode bars emitting laser radiation at afirst wavelength along an optical path intersecting the substratesupport, the array of laser diode bars being arranged in plural parallelrows extending along a slow axis, the rows of laser diode bars beingarranged in a stack along a fast axis, wherein the slow axis and thefast axis are orthogonal to the optical path between the array of laserdiode bars and the substrate support, an illumination optics disposedalong the optical path between the array of laser diode bars and thesubstrate support. The illumination optics comprises a set of slow-axislenses having at least a first cylindrical lens and a second cylindricallens spaced apart from each other, and a set of fast-axis lenses havingat least a first cylindrical lens and a second cylindrical lens spacedapart from each other, the set of fast-axis lenses being disposedbetween the first cylindrical lens and second cylindrical lens of theset of slow-axis lenses, and a homogenizer disposed between theillumination optics and the substrate support along the optical path forhomogenizing laser radiation along the slow axis, the homogenizercomprising a first lens array, and a second lens array, the lenses ofthe second lens array having a larger lenslet array spacing than thelenses of the first lens array.

In yet another embodiment, a thermal processing apparatus for processinga semiconductor substrate is provided. The apparatus includes asubstrate support, an array of laser diode bars emitting laser radiationalong an optical path intersecting the substrate support, the array oflaser diode bars are arranged in plural parallel rows extending along aslow axis, wherein the rows of laser diode bars are arrayed in a stackalong a fast axis, the slow-axis is generally perpendicular to thefast-axis, and the slow axis and the fast axis are orthogonal to theoptical path, an illumination optics disposed along the optical pathbetween the array of laser diode bars and the substrate support, ahomogenizer disposed between the illumination optics and the substratesupport. The homogenizer comprises a first lens array of cylindricallenses, and a second lens array of cylindrical lenses disposed paralleland spaced apart from the first lens array of cylindrical lenses,wherein the lenses of the second lens array of cylindrical lenses have alarger lenslet array spacing than the lenses of the first lens array ofcylindrical lenses, and axis of each lens of the first lens array andaxis of each lens of the second lens array are oriented parallel to thefast axis, and a condensing lens set disposed between the homogenizerand the substrate support along the optical path, the condensing lensset comprising at least five spherical lenses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the presentdisclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description ofthe disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference toembodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Itis to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate onlytypical embodiments of this disclosure and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope, for the disclosure may admit to otherequally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary perspective view of a thermal flux laserannealing apparatus according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 conceptually illustrates an optical system having laser diode bararray and optics working altogether to produce and focus a uniformdistribution of laser light to be directed onto a wafer.

FIG. 3 illustrates an end plan view of the laser diode bar array.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate slow-axis and fast-axis views of output beamspropagating through an exemplary illumination optics.

FIG. 5A illustrates slow-axis view of the microlens array homogenizer.

FIG. 5B illustrates a close-up, slow-axis view of a portion of thelenslet array of the pre-homogenizing lens array.

FIG. 6A illustrates slow-axis view of laser beams propagating through anexemplary Fourier Transform lens.

FIG. 6B illustrates a relationship between distortion function andnormalized radiant intensity I(θ) as well as irradiance function H(y)for Fourier Transform lens.

FIG. 7 illustrates slow-axis view of a lens arrangement of an opticalsystem including a laser diode bar array, an illumination optics, amicrolens array homogenizer, a Fourier Transform lens, and a pyrometercollection optics according to one embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is an exemplary perspective view of a thermal flux laserannealing apparatus according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The apparatus 2 generally includes a gantry structure 10 fortwo-dimensional scanning. The gantry structure 10 may include a pair offixed parallel rails 12, 14. Two parallel gantry beams 16, 18 are fixedtogether a set distance apart and supported on the fixed rails 12, 14and are controlled by a motor (not shown) and drive mechanism (notshown) to slide on rollers or ball bearings (not shown) together alongthe fixed rails 12, 14. A beam source 20 is slidably supported on thegantry beams 16, 18, and may be suspended below the beams 16, 18 whichare controlled by unillustrated motors and drive mechanisms to slidealong them. A substrate, for example, a silicon wafer 22, may bestationarily supported below the gantry structure 10. The beam source20, as will be discussed in more detail below, generally includes alaser light source and optics to produce a beam 24 that strikes thewafer 22 as a line beam 26 extending generally parallel to the fixedrails 12, 14, referring hereinafter as the slow direction (i.e., theline length direction).

Although not illustrated here, the gantry structure 10 may furtherinclude a Z-axis stage for moving the laser light source and optics in adirection generally parallel to the fan-shaped beam 24 to therebycontrollably vary the distance between the beam source 20 and the wafer22 and thus control the focusing of the line beam 26 on the wafer 22.Exemplary dimensions of the line beam 26 include a length of about 5 mmto about 1 cm, for example about 12 mm, and a width of about 50 um toabout 90 um, for example about 75 um, with an exemplary power density of220 kW/cm². Alternatively, the beam source and associated optics may bestationary while the wafer is supported on a stage (e.g., an X-Y stage)which scans it in two dimensions.

In one embodiment, the gantry beams 16, 18 may be set at a particularposition along the fixed rails 12, 14 and the beam source 20 is moved ata uniform speed along the gantry beams 16, 18 to scan the line beam 26perpendicularly to its long dimension in a direction referred to as thefast direction (i.e., the line width direction). Alternatively, the beamsource 20 may be stationary while moving the wafer 22 with respect tothe beam source 20, thereby scanning the line beam 26 from one side ofthe wafer 22 to the other to irradiate a 1 cm swath of the wafer 22. Theline beam 26 is narrow enough and the scanning speed in the fastdirection fast enough that a particular area of the wafer is onlymomentarily exposed to the optical radiation of the line beam 26 but theintensity at the peak of the line beam is enough to heat the surfaceregion to very high temperatures. However, the deeper portions of thewafer 22 are not significantly heated and therefore act as a heat sinkto quickly cool the surface region. Once the fast scan has beencompleted, the gantry beams 16, 18 or the wafer 22 moving by an X-Ystage is moved to a new position such that the line beam 26 is movedalong its long dimension extending along the slow axis. The fastscanning is then performed again to irradiate a neighboring swath of thewafer 22. The alternating fast and slow scanning are repeated, perhapsin a serpentine path of the beam source 20, until the entire wafer 22has been thermally processed.

An exemplary beam source 20 is conceptually illustrated in FIG. 2, whichshows an optical system 200 comprising laser diode bar array and opticsworking together to produce a uniform distribution of laser light to befocused on the wafer 22. In one embodiment, the optical system 200generally includes laser diode bar array 202, an illumination optics204, a homogenizer 206 which may be a microlens array, a FourierTransform lens (or field lens) 208, and a pyrometer collection optics210. The arrow “A” indicates laser radiation at about 808 nm is producedfrom the laser diode bar array 202 and transmits in order through theillumination optics 204, the microlens array homogenizer 206, theFourier Transform lens 208, and to the wafer. A portion of thermalradiation emitted from the heated wafer is collected by the FourierTransform lens 208 and passes through the microlens array homogenizer206, the illumination optics 204 back towards the laser diode bar array202. A beam reflector (not shown) may be arranged between the microlensarray homogenizer 206 and the illumination optics 204 to direct aportion of thermal radiation emitted at the pyrometer wavelengths (940nm, 1550 nm, arrow “B”) from the heated wafer to the pyrometercollection optics 210, thereby monitoring the temperature of the waferbeing thermally processed. To avoid or minimize the heat impact on thelaser diode bar array 202, the illumination optics 204 may include oneor more beam dumps (not shown) to collect thermal radiation reflectedfrom the heated wafer. The optical system 200 will be discussed in moredetail below.

FIG. 3 illustrates an end plan view of the laser diode bar array 202.The laser diode bar array 202 may have multiple diode bars 302 eachincluding a desired number of laser diodes (not shown), for example,about 25 laser diodes mounted and separated by a 400 μm pitch on thediode bar 302. The diode bars 302 may be arranged in parallel from oneanother forming a laser bar stack 304. The number of diode bars 302 andstack 304 may vary depending upon the output power required for theprocess. In cases where the output requirement is at least 1600 Wobtainable from the full diode bar array, it may be advantageous tolimit the total power from a given diode bar to increase the servicelife of the laser diode. For example, the total output power for eachdiode bar 302 may be limited to about 60 W. In one embodiment where apitch is about 1.8 mm (height) and a diode bar length is about 10 mm,the power density/bar is about 330 W/cm². To compensate the lower lightoutput, it has been determined that a total of 3 stacks 304 (in the slowaxis direction) of 9 diode bars 302 (in the fast axis direction) may berequired to meet the overall power requirement. Therefore, the laserdiode bar array 202 has a total of 27 diode bars 302 grouped in a 3×9array as shown.

Each diode bar 302 generally corresponds to a p-n junction configured toemit a beam at a wavelength suitable for thermal processingapplications, for example, between about 190 nm and about 950 nm, with aparticular application using illumination at 808 nm. Due to the geometryof the diode bar 302, the raw output beams from each discrete diode bar302 is highly divergent and asymmetric in both fast and slow axes (bothbeing perpendicular to the beam direction). Typical fast axis divergenceis about 40° FWHM (Full Width Half Maximum) and slow axis divergence isabout 10° FWHM. For most applications, it may be advantageous to reshapethe output beam into one with a rectangular cross section using one ormore optical elements. Due to higher divergence observed in the fastaxis direction, an optical element, such as a cylindrical lens (notshown) may cover each of laser diode to collimate output beams with adivergence angle φ (a slow axis view of output beam divergence φ isshown FIG. 4) along the fast axis direction. In one embodiment,divergences of output beam through the optical system 200 along the slowaxis are less than 7.5° FWHM (Full Width Half Maximum) and are less than0.2° FWHM along the fast axis for all operating currents.

In one embodiment, the diode bar 302 may have a length of about 2 mm toabout 20 mm, for example about 10 mm in the slow axis direction, andseparates from the neighboring diode bar by a bar pitch “p” of about 0.5mm to about 3 mm, for example about 1.8 mm or less in the fast axisdirection. The stack spacing “d” (from center of stack to center ofstack) may be between about 5 mm and about 25 mm, for example about 12mm or less. The laser diode bar array 202 may have a height “H” (whichis set by the number of bars and the bar spacing) of about 5 mm to about30 mm, for example about 14.4 mm, and a width “W” (which is also set bythe number of bars and the bar spacing) of about 15 mm to about 50 mm,for example about 34 mm. It is contemplated that the configuration,including spacing, pitch, and/or size of the diode bar 302 may varydepending upon the output power requirement. The laser diode bar array202 with this particular geometry is believed to provide an optical beamhaving an aspect ratio favorable for homogenization by an array orarrays of micro-cylindrical lenses and for imaging of a beam line usinglenses with spherical surfaces, as will be discussed in more detailbelow.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate slow-axis and fast-axis views of output beamspropagating through an exemplary illumination optics 400. Theillumination optics 400 collimate and condense output beams from thelaser diode bar array 202 with correct slow axis divergence andnumerical aperture (NA) when the output beams reach the microlens arrayhomogenizer 206. The illumination optics 400 also helps to eliminate thedependence of homogenizer illumination with laser diode current and toprovide a constant angular slow axis illumination of the microlens arrayhomogenizer 206. In one embodiment, the illumination optics 400 mayinclude a polarizing beamsplitter 402 (identified as “L1” in thedrawing), a pyrometer dichroic mirror 404 (identified as “L6”), awaveplate 406 (identified as “L7”), a set of slow-axis lenses 408(identified as “L2” and “L5”), and a set of fast-axis lenses 410(identified as “L3” and “L4”). The polarizing beamsplitter 402 may bedisposed downstream of the laser diode bar array 202 and configured togenerate one or both components that have orthogonal polarizationdirections. The polarizing beamsplitter 402 is configured to ensure thatthe output beams from the laser diode bar array 202 reaches thepolarizing beamsplitter 402 with a specified linear polarization thatwill transmit the output beam along the optical axis Z (optical path),and to redirect light not of the specified linear polarization from theoptical path to a beam dump (not shown). In one example, the polarizingbeamsplitter 402 is positioned at an angle of about 45 degrees withrespect to the slow axis. The waveplate 406, such as a quarter (λ/4)waveplate, may be disposed in the beam path, such as a location betweenthe polarizing beamsplitter 402 and the microlens array homogenizer 206,such that linearly polarized beam that passes through the waveplate 406becomes circularly polarized. In one example, the waveplate 406 isdisposed between the pyrometer dichroic mirror 404 and the microlensarray homogenizer 206.

After polarized beam passing through the set of slow-axis lenses 408,the set of fast-axis lenses 410, the pyrometer dichroic mirror 404, thewaveplate 406, and the remainder of the optical system 200 (i.e., themicrolens array homogenizer 206 and Fourier Transform lens 208 as shownin FIG. 2), some of the beam may be reflected from the surface of thewafer 22 back through the optical system 200. During such backtransmission, the second encounter of the beam with the waveplate 406causes the beam again to become linearly polarized, but rotated by 90°.Upon its second encounter with the polarizing beamsplitter 402, thelaser radiation is directed to the beam dump, thereby protecting thelaser diode bar array 202 from potential damage.

Thermal radiation emitted from the heated wafer 22 having a wavelengthof 950 nm or more is re-directed by the pyrometer dichroic mirror 404 toa pyrometer (FIG. 7). The output of the pyrometer is supplied to acontroller (not shown), which converts the detected photocurrent to awafer temperature and compares it to a desired temperature and therebyadjusts the power supplied to the laser diode bar array 202 (will bediscussed in detail later).

The set of slow-axis lenses 408 may include, in order from an objectside A to an image side B, a cylindrical lens 408 a and a cylindricallens 408 b spaced apart from each other with effective focal length f ofabout 120 mm. The set of fast-axis lenses 410 is disposed between thecylindrical lenses 408 a, 408 b and may include, in order from an objectside A to an image side B, a cylindrical lens 410 a and a cylindricallens 410 b spaced apart so as to comprise a focal telescope or beamexpander with magnification 1.1.8× in the fast axis direction. In oneembodiment, the cylindrical lenses 408 a has a convex lens surface 420facing toward the object side A while the cylindrical lenses 408 b has aconvex lens surface 422 facing toward the image side B. The cylindricallens 410 a has a concave lens surface 426 facing toward the object sideA while the cylindrical lens 410 b has a convex lens surface 428 facingtoward the image side B (FIG. 4B). A detailed prescription for theslow-axis lenses 408 (i.e., the cylindrical lens 408 a and thecylindrical lens 408 b) and fast-axis lenses 410 (i.e., the cylindricallens 410 a and the cylindrical lens 410 b) in accordance with oneembodiment of the disclosure is provided in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 Radius Radius Thickness Surface Type SA (mm) FA (mm) (mm) GlassComment L2 (OBJ side) TOROIDAL  75.14 Infinity 8 SILICA L2 Slow AxisCylinder (408a) L2 (IMG side) Infinity Infinity 15.514 L3 (OBJ side)TOROIDAL Infinity −154.87 6.4 SILICA L3 Fast Axis Cylinder (410a) L3(IMG side) Infinity Infinity 52.518 L4 (OBJ side) Infinity Infinity 6.4SILICA L4 Fast Axis Cylinder (410b) L4 (IMG side) TOROIDAL Infinity−182.75 5 L5 (OBJ side) Infinity Infinity 8 SILICA L5 Slow Axis Cylinder(408b) L5 (IMG side) TOROIDAL −86.43 Infinity 23

The laser diode bar array 202 is located in the front focal plane of theset of slow-axis lenses 408 of focal length f while the microlens arrayhomogenizer 206 is located in the back focal plane. In operation, theslow-axis lenses 408 produce the beam with constant divergence anglealong the slow axis. The beams are condensed and converged into theinput end of the microlens array homogenizer 206, i.e., thepre-homogenizing lens array 502 in the direction of the optical axis Z,as shown in FIG. 4A. The inner fast-axis lenses 410 remove or decreaseany residue divergence left over from the cylindrical lens on the laserdiode. The beams are expanded and collimated in the direction of fastaxis into the microlenses array homogenizer 206, as shown in FIG. 4B(the polarizing beamsplitter 402, the pyrometer dichroic mirror 404, andthe waveplate 406 have been omitted for clarity). The set of slow-axisand fast-axis lenses 408, 410 transform the beam output of the laserdiode bar array 202 so that the divergence is larger and constant (asdiscussed in the next paragraph) in the slow axis direction while makingthe divergence angle φ along the fast axis direction smaller. Smallerdivergence angles traveling into the microlenses array homogenizer 206in the fast axis means a tighter line focus at the wafer 22.

The illumination optics 400 help to deliver the laser beam with thecorrect slow axis divergence to the microlens array homogenizer 206,where the pre-homogenizing lens array 502 has a numerical aperture (NA)of about 0.15. To obtain good uniformity from the microlenses arrayhomogenizer 206, it is important that the incident slow axis divergencenot exceed the numerical aperture (NA) of the microlenes arrayhomogenizer 206. In order to control the slow axis divergence incidentat the microlens array homogenizer 206 (note the SA divergence fromlaser diode bar array 202 is a function of electrical current/powerout), the diode array emission plane is optically Fourier transformed inthe slow axis direction by the pair of cylindrical lenses 408 a, 408 bwith effective focal length f of about 120 mm. Because of the propertiesof the optical Fourier transform (will be discussed later), light anglesin the back focal plane are determined by the light spatial positions atthe laser diode bar array 202. As the spatial emission pattern of thelaser diode bar array 202 is uniform and independent of diode power andgeometrically symmetrical, the divergence incident on the microlensarray homogenizer 206 will likewise by uniform and independent of diodepower. The slow axis spatial extent of beams at the microlens arrayhomogenizer 206, on the other hand, is set by the slow axis divergencefrom the laser diode bar array 202, and may vary depending upon theprocess scheme. The illumination optics 400 decrease the fast axisdivergence by about 1.18×, which is necessary in certain embodiments toinsure the final line width at image plane of the wafer 22 meets the <80μm FWHM requirement with a diode array fast axis divergence of 0.135°.It is noted that the fast-axis lenses 410 may be omitted if the diodearray fast axis divergence meets the goal of <0.12°).

FIG. 5A illustrates slow-axis view of the microlens array homogenizer500, such as the microlens array homogenizer 206 discussed above withrespect to FIG. 2. The microlens array homogenizer 500 generally employsmicrolens array, such as a pre-homogenizing lens array 502 (identifiedas “L8” in the drawing) and a final homogenizing lens array 504(identified as “L10”) disposed parallel and spaced apart from thepre-homogenizing lens array 502 by the focal length of the lenses, tohomogenize the laser beam along the slow axis. In cases where thepre-homogenizing lens array 502 and the final homogenizing lens array504 are cylindrical lenslet arrays, the cylindrical lenslet axes of thepre-homogenizing lens array 502 and of the final homogenizing lens array504 may be oriented along an axis that is parallel to a fast axis of thelaser diode bar array 202. The microlens array homogenizer 500 may havenumerical aperture (NA) specifically chosen to allow an all-sphericalFourier Transform lens 208. While two microlens arrays (i.e., 502,504)are shown, the microlens array homogenizer 500 may include moremicrolens arrays to reduce speckle in the final line image at the wafer.

In operation, the output beams from the light source, i.e., the laserdiode bar array 202, is focused by the cylindrical lenses of theillumination optics 204 as discussed above and entered the microlensarray homogenizer 500 with a finite convergence angle along the slowaxis, but substantially collimated along the fast axis. The microlensarray homogenizer 500 reduces the beam structure along the slow axisintroduced by the multiple laser diodes in the laser bar stack 304 (FIG.3) spaced apart on the slow axis and smoothes out possiblenonuniformities in the light source. The pre-homogenizing lens array 502and the final homogenizing lens array 504 may be cylindrical lenses orlenses having a plurality of curved surfaces. In one embodiment shown inFIG. 5A, the pre-homogenizing lens array 502 and the final homogenizinglens array 504 generally include a micro-optic lenslet array ofcylindrical lenses 503, 505, respectively. FIG. 5B illustrates aclose-up, slow-axis view of a portion of the lenslet array of thepre-homogenizing lens array 502, for example. The lenslet array as shownincludes two adjacent cylindrical lenses 503 a, 503 b with a transitionregion 510 located between the cylindrical lenses 503 a, 503 b. In thetransition region 510 the surface profile approximates a concavecylindrical lens which smoothly connects to the convex cylindricallenses 503 a, 503 b. The width of this transition region 510 affects theline length and edge-slope at the end of the line image. In one example,the transition region 510 is about 20 μm to about 60 μm in length, forexample about 40 μm in length, and each of the cylindrical lenses 503 a,503 b is about 180 μm to about 300 μm in length, for example about 250μm in length.

As there is sufficient spatial coherence in the light incident on amicrolens array which may lead to undesirable coherent artifacts at thefinal line image, an additional lens, for example, a weak cylindricallens 506 (identified as “L9” in the drawing) may be placed in betweenthe pre-homogenizing lens array 502 and the final homogenizing lensarray 504 to help lessen these coherent non-uniformities. The weakcylindrical lens 506 may have a focal length of about 500 mm. It wasshown above that to meet the image line length requirement usingspherical optics in the subsequent Fourier Transform lens 208, themicrolens array homogenizer 206 may require an microlens array (i.e.,lens arrays 502, 504) with a numerical aperture NA of about 0.16 in theslow axis. The numerical aperture of the lens array can be expressed asfollows:

${NA} = {\frac{{pitch} \times {FillFactor}}{2 \times f} = {\frac{{pitch} \times {FillFactor} \times \left( {n - 1} \right)}{2 \times r}.}}$

where “pitch” is the lenslet array spacing (e.g., from center ofcylindrical lens 503 a to center of adjacent cylindrical lens 503 b),“FillFactor” is the ratio of the lenslet width to the pitch, “f” is thefocal length of a lenslet, “r” is the radius of curvature of the lensletfront and back surface, and “n” is the refractive index of the arraymaterial at the design wavelength. In cases where the lenslet array usesfused silica, the refractive index n is about 1.453 at λ of about 808nm. The fillfactor of the lenslet array is determined primarily by themethod of fabrication. In one embodiment the lenset array used in thepre-homogenizing lens array 502 and the final homogenizing lens array504 are LIMO lens arrays (available from LIMO GmbH, Dortmund, Germany),the fillfactor has been measured to be greater than >90%. Table 2 belowprovides optical prescription for the pre-homogenizing lens array 502and the final homogenizing lens array 504 used in the microlens arrayhomogenizer 500 according to one embodiment of the disclosure. MicrolensArray#1 represents the pre-homogenizing lens array 502, which serves tolessen coherent non-uniformity in the image line. The pre-homogenizinglens array 502 has a pitch of about 275 um, and an NA of about 0.155,slightly lower than microlens Array#2, which represents the finalhomogenizing lens array 504 having the same optical prescription asArray#1 except for a larger pitch of about 290 um, resulting in a largerNA of about 0.164. It has been observed experimentally that themicrolens array homogenizer 500 works best when illuminated by incidentlight having a slow axis NA close to, but not exceeding, the lensletarray NA of the microlens array homogenizer 206. In particular,interference effects resulting from the spatial coherence of the laserdiode bar array 202 are lessened by having the incident light NA closeto the lenslet array NA. Therefore, a difference in pitch between thepre-homogenizing lens array 502 and the final homogenizing lens array504 may be advantageous to reduce frequency interference between twolens arrays 502, 504 which would occur if they were to have identicalpitches.

The optical parameters have been chosen to provide a pitch small enoughthat a sufficient number of lenslets, i.e., micro-optic lenslet array ofcylindrical lenses 503, 505, are illuminated by the laser diode bararray 202 and the illumination optics 204. In one example, there may beapproximately 50 cylindrical lenses 503, 505 in each of thepre-homogenizing lens array 502 and the final homogenizing lens array504 covering about 15 mm beam width in the microlens array homogenizer206.

TABLE 2 Specification Array #1 Array #2 Material Fused silica Fusedsilica Width 30.0 +/− 0.05 mm 30.0 +/− 0.05 mm (along FA) Height 30.0+/− 0.05 mm 30.0 +/− 0.05 mm (along SA) Thickness 1.207 +/− 0.05 mm1.207 +/− 0.05 mm Clear aperture 28 × 28 mm{circumflex over ( )}2 28 ×28 mm{circumflex over ( )}2 Pitch 0.275 +/− 0.001 mm 0.290 +/− 0.001 mmRadius 0.3764 +/− 0.0075 mm 0.3764 +/− 0.0075 mm FII factor >90% >90%Numerical ~0.155 ~0.164 Surface quality <50 nm p-v deviation <50 nm p-vdeviation from a cyl from a cyl Transmission >99% for 808 and >99% for808 and 1020 nm, 0-30 deg 1020 nm, 0-30 deg Substrate edge 0.2 mR 0.2 mRalignment* *Max angle between substrate mechanical edge and lens arrayaxis

FIG. 6A illustrates slow-axis view of laser beams propagating through anexemplary condensing lens set 600, such as the Fourier Transform lens208 discussed above with respect to FIG. 2. The condensing lens set 600may be any suitable Fourier Transform lens, or the condensing lens set600 with a particular lens arrangement as described below with respectto FIG. 6A. The Fourier Transform lens is designed to focus line imageat the wafer 22 and having a specific optical distortion matched to theradiant intensity distribution produced by the final microlens array.The lens design is purposefully astigmatic which allows for a simplerdesign of fewer individual lens elements but still allows for qualityimaging of a line image without negatively impacting the lineuniformity. In one embodiment, the condensing lens set 600 generallyincludes lens array comprising, in order from an object side A to animage side B, five individual lenses, e.g., a first lens 602, a secondlens 604, a third lens 606, a fourth lens 608, and a fifth lens 610(identified as “L11”, “L12,” “L13,” “L14,” and “L15” respectively in thedrawing) arranged along the optical axis Z and having all sphericalsurfaces. The condensing lens set 600 with all spherical lenses allowsfor more economical manufacturing and easier alignment compared to ananamorphic design that uses both cylindrical and spherical surfaceoptics. A detailed prescription for each individual lens 602, 604, 606,608, and 610 in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure isprovided in Table 3 below.

TABLE 3 Edge thickness Surf Type Radius Thickness Material Diameter(X-Edge/Y-Edge) Object Infinity Infinity 0 Aperture Stop Infinity6.880859 8.248815 2.739422/2.739422 L1 (OBJ side) −25.73401 4 SILICA 289.320045/9.320045 L1 (IMG side) 109.192 10.87737 32 8.249291/8.249291 L2(OBJ side) −131.8937 11.5001 SILICA 39 4.117087/4.117087 L2 (IMG side)−39.79702 7.80948 50 17.799024/17.799024 L3 (OBJ side) 315.5999 12.99995SILICA 54 5.968442/5.968442 L3 (IMG side) −64.98561 0.5000262 5410.493407/10.493407 L4 (OBJ side) 90.55326 10.52833 SILICA 544.774647/4.774647 L4 (IMG side) −223.7871 0.4999986 5410.532183/10.532183 L5 (OBJ side) 47.60484 10.00019 SILICA 543.615662/3.615662 L5 (IMG side) 156.2545 15.6 50 13.587088/13.587088 W1(OBJ side) Infinity 3 SILICA 37.16273 3.000000/3.000000 W1 (IMG side)Infinity 8 35.74045 8.000000/8.000000 W2 (OBJ side) Infinity 6 SILICA30.04821 6.000000/6.000000 W2 (IMG side) Infinity 20.5 27.2036420.500000/20.500000 Image Infinity 12.61728 0.000000/0.000000

FIG. 6A may also include a replaceable output window 612 (identified asW1 in the drawing) and a chamber window 614 (identified as W2 in thedrawing). The replaceable output window 612 protects the interior of theoptical system 200. Collimated laser beam may enter the chamber throughthe chamber window 614. In the thermal processing applications, thechamber window 614 may be larger than the wafer 22 being processed. Thisis because light access may be needed to all regions of the wafer aspart of the processing. It is noted that the disclosure is not limitedto this particular number of lenses and alternative embodiments mayinclude a different number of lenses. The specific opticalcharacteristics of each of the lenses and the way in which they arecombined may define the shape of the overlaid images provided on surfaceof the wafer 22.

The condensing lens set 600, such as the Fourier Transform lens 208,forms the final line image at the wafer 22 (FIG. 2). It is referred toas a Fourier Transform lens because the image is formed in its backfocal plane. As such, the lens operates at infinite conjugate, mappinginput beams at a given incident angle into a position in the image planeof the wafer 22. The generalized distortion function of the lens g(θ)determines the mapping of input angle θ into image position y as definedby y=f g (θ). The normalized radiant intensity I(θ) produced immediatelyafter the final homogenizing lens array 504 is a measure of the opticalpower per radian, that is I(θ)dθ is the power contained between the beamangles θ and θ+dθ (for convenience, assume I(0)=1). Due to theaberrations inherent in the moderately high NA microlens array, thefunction I(θ) is not a top hat (see (a) of FIG. 6B), but rather iswell-represented by a quadratic (see (b) of FIG. 6B), I(θ)=1+c₂ θ². Thenormalized irradiance function H(y) at the image plane of the wafer 22is defined such that H(y) dy is the power within the region y to y+dy.For a highly uniform irradiance, H(y) is constant which is taken to beunity for convenience, and the distortion mapping y=g(θ) is the mappingwhich results in H(y)=1. By conservation of energy, one may obtain thefollowing under the mapping g(θ) which converts angle θ into position y:I(θ)dθ=H(y)dy or

${g^{\prime}(\theta)} = {\frac{y}{\theta} = {\frac{I(\theta)}{H(y)} = {I(\theta)}}}$

since H(y)=1 for a uniform top-hat irradiance.

As the normalized radiant intensity produced by the final homogenizinglens array 504 can be represented by the quadratic I(θ)=1+c₂ θ², anequation

$\frac{y}{\theta} = {1 + {c_{2}\theta^{2}}}$

is obtained. From here the final result is easily obtained for thedesired generalized distortion mapping

$y = {{g(\theta)} = {\theta + {\frac{c_{2}\theta^{3}}{3}.}}}$

This is the generalized distortion mapping which will result in a flattop irradiance H(y) in the image plane of the wafer 22. The soleparameter is the radiant intensity quadratic coefficient c₂. Distortionin optical design is by convention specified relative to tan(θ), becausetan(θ) is the mapping that maps an x-y object plane into an x′-y′ imageplane of the wafer 22 without distortion at finite object/imagedistances. Since tan(θ) is about θ+θ³/3+ . . . , one may assume c₂=1 fora lens having “zero” distortion by this convention. More specifically,by the definition used in common optical design software, the distortionof a lens characterized by the generalized mapping g(θ) defined abovemay be defined as

${design\_ distortion} = {\frac{{g(\theta)} - {\tan (\theta)}}{\tan (\theta)} = {\frac{\theta + {{1/3}\mspace{14mu} c_{2}\theta^{3}} - {\tan (\theta)}}{\tan (\theta)}.}}$

Therefore, once c₂ is known, one can specify the distortion needed ineach individual lens of the condensing lens set 600. In one examplewhere the condensing lens set 600 is a Fourier transform lens and thequadratic curve fit to the radiant intensity yields c₂=−1.35, thedesired Fourier transform lens distortion (departure from tan(θ)distortion) is −2.14% at a field angle of 1.66 radians or 9.5°. Themerit function used to design the Fourier Transform lens is defined tominimize the image spot size in the fast-axis direction. In variousembodiments, the condensing lens set 600 is configured to provide: (1)effective focal length of about 38 mm, which is set by fast axisdivergence to satisfy 80 mm FWHM linewidth as discussed above; (2) inputfield angles (slow axis) of ±9.5°, which is set by NA (about 0.164) ofthe microlens array homogenizer 206; (3) a back focal length (i.e., thechamber window 614 to image at the wafer 22) of about 20.5 mm; and (4) adistortion (relative to tan(θ)) of about −2.14% at maximum field angle9.5°. Further prescription of the condensing lens set 600 in accordancewith one of the present disclosure can be found in Table 3 above andTable 4 below.

TABLE 4 System Aperture Entrance Pupil Diameter = 22.63 Temperature (C.)2.00000E+001 Pressure (ATM) 1.00000E+000 Effective Focal Length 38.00002(in air at system temperature/pressure) Effective Focal Length 38.00002(in image space) Back Focal Length 20.55506 Total Track 128.6963 ImageSpace F/# 1.679188 Paraxial Working F/# 1.679188 Working F/# 1.679959Image Space NA 0.2853803 Object Space NA  1.1315e−009 Stop Radius 11.315Paraxial Image Height 6.359023 Paraxial Magnification 0 Entrance PupilDiameter 22.63 Entrance Pupil Position 0 Exit Pupil Diameter 132.5966Exit Pupil Position 222.7096 Field Type Angle in degrees Maximum RadialField 9.5 Primary Wavelength 0.808 μm Lens Units Millimeters AngularMagnification −0.1706681

While the condensing lens set 600 may be constructed to minimize theimage spot size in the fast-axis direction, the use of all sphericallenses may allow the lens to exhibit astigmatism. Image spot growth inthe slow axis direction causes an insignificant line lengthening andsoftening at the line ends. However, it has been shown that such a lensdesign is not a detriment for a line width in the fast axis directionbut rather allows for a simpler design of fewer individual lens elementswith quality imaging of a line image without negatively impacting theline uniformity. It is contemplated that the number of lens used in thecondensing lens set 600 is not limited to five spherical elements asdiscussed. A skilled artisan may add or remove the lens as necessaryusing the equation above to optimize the distortion needed in eachindividual lens of the condensing lens set 600.

FIG. 7 illustrates slow-axis view of a lens arrangement of an opticalsystem 700 including a laser diode bar array 202, an illumination optics(402, 408 a-b 410 a-b, 404 and 406), a microlens array homogenizer (502,504, and 506), and a condensing lens set (602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612,and 614) as discussed above, and a pyrometer collection optics (702,704, 706, and 708) according to one embodiment of the disclosure. InFIG. 7, the optical axis from one or more electromagnetic sources (i.e.,laser diode bar array 202) to a surface of the wafer 22 is designated asthe Z axis. The slow axis (“SA”) of the optical system 700 in thisdrawing is identified, with the fast axis (“FA”) being orthogonal to thepage as shown. As briefly discussed above with respect to FIG. 4A, inorder to regulate or control the wafer temperature, the temperature ofthe illuminated portion of the wafer 22 is constantly monitored by thepyrometer collection optics. The same optics used to collimate and focusthe laser source beam on the wafer 22 are employed to direct thermalradiation emitted from the heated wafer 22 in the reverse direction to apyrometer 702. The thermal radiation may be back-propagated through thecondensing lens set (602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612, and 614), themicrolens array homogenizer (502, 504, and 506), and to the pyrometerdichoric mirror 404 with a coating (e.g., SiO₂ and/or Ta₂O₅) havingsimultaneously high reflectivity at the pyrometry wavelengths (e.g., 940nm and 1550 nm) and high transmission at the primary laser wavelength808 nm. Upon its second encounter with the pyrometer dichroic mirror404, thermal radiation emitted from the heated wafer 22 having awavelength of 940±5 nm or 1550±5 nm is re-directed by the pyrometerdichroic mirror 404 to an optical filter 704 blocking the wavelength,e.g., 808 nm, of the laser radiation. The laser radiation with thepyrometry wavelengths are reflected by an optional prism 706 to a lens708 which focuses the laser radiation onto a face of the pyrometer 702.The output of the pyrometer is supplied to a controller (not shown),which converts the detected photocurrent to a wafer temperature andcompares it to a desired temperature and thereby adjusts the powersupplied to the laser diode bar array 202.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the presentdisclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may bedevised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scopethereof is determined by the claims that follow.

1. A thermal processing apparatus for processing a semiconductorsubstrate, comprising: a substrate support; a beam source having a fastaxis for emitting a beam along an optical path intersecting thesubstrate support; and a homogenizer disposed along the optical pathbetween the beam source and the substrate support, the homogenizercomprising: a first lens array; and a second lens array, wherein lensesof the second lens array have a larger lenslet array spacing than lensesof the first lens array.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, furthercomprising: a plurality of condensing lenses disposed between thehomogenizer and the substrate support along the optical path, whereinthe plurality of condensing lenses comprises at least five sphericallenses.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first lens array andthe second lens array each has a plurality of curved surfaces.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the first lens array and the second lensarray are cylindrical lenses.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thebeam source emits a beam at a wavelength between about 190 nm and about950 nm.
 6. A thermal processing apparatus for processing a semiconductorsubstrate, comprising: a substrate support; an array of laser diode barsemitting laser radiation at a first wavelength along an optical pathintersecting the substrate support, the array of laser diode bars beingarranged in plural parallel rows extending along a slow axis, the rowsof laser diode bars being arranged in a stack along a fast axis, whereinthe slow axis and the fast axis are orthogonal to the optical pathbetween the array of laser diode bars and the substrate support; anillumination optics disposed along the optical path between the array oflaser diode bars and the substrate support, the illumination opticscomprising: a set of slow-axis lenses having at least a firstcylindrical lens and a second cylindrical lens spaced apart from eachother; and a set of fast-axis lenses having at least a first cylindricallens and a second cylindrical lens spaced apart from each other, the setof fast-axis lenses being disposed between the first cylindrical lensand second cylindrical lens of the set of slow-axis lenses; and ahomogenizer disposed between the illumination optics and the substratesupport along the optical path for homogenizing laser radiation alongthe slow axis, the homogenizer comprising: a first lens array; and asecond lens array, the lenses of the second lens array having a largerlenslet array spacing than the lenses of the first lens array.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 6, wherein the illumination optics further comprises:a dichroic mirror disposed downstream of the set of fast-axis lenses andconfigured to redirect laser radiation of a second and a thirdwavelengths reflected from the heated substrate to a pyrometer; and awaveplate disposed downstream of the dichroic mirror to transform thelinear polarization of laser radiation into circular polarization. 8.The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising: a condensing lens setdisposed between the homogenizer and the substrate support along theoptical path for focusing line image at a surface of the substrate. 9.The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the condensing lens set comprises atleast five spherical lenses.
 10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein thefirst cylindrical lens of the set of slow-axis lenses has a convex lenssurface facing toward the array of laser diode bars and the secondcylindrical lens of the set of slow-axis lenses has a convex lenssurface facing toward the surface of the substrate.
 11. The apparatus ofclaim 6, wherein the first cylindrical lens of the set of fast-axislenses has a concave lens surface facing toward the array of laser diodebars and the second cylindrical lens of the set of fast-axis lenses hasa convex lens surface facing toward the surface of the substrate. 12.The apparatus of claim 6, wherein axis of each lens of the first lensarray and axis of each lens of the second lens array are orientedparallel to the fast axis.
 13. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein thefirst wavelength is approximately 808 nm, the second wavelength isapproximately 940 nm, and the third wavelength is approximately 1550 nm.14. A thermal processing apparatus for processing a semiconductorsubstrate, comprising: a substrate support; an array of laser diode barsemitting laser radiation along an optical path intersecting thesubstrate support, the array of laser diode bars are arranged in pluralparallel rows extending along a slow axis, wherein the rows of laserdiode bars are arrayed in a stack along a fast axis, the slow-axis isgenerally perpendicular to the fast-axis, and the slow axis and the fastaxis are orthogonal to the optical path; an illumination optics disposedalong the optical path between the array of laser diode bars and thesubstrate support; a homogenizer disposed between the illuminationoptics and the substrate support, the homogenizer comprising: a firstlens array of cylindrical lenses; and a second lens array of cylindricallenses disposed parallel and spaced apart from the first lens array ofcylindrical lenses, wherein the lenses of the second lens array ofcylindrical lenses have a larger lenslet array spacing than the lensesof the first lens array of cylindrical lenses, and axis of each lens ofthe first lens array and axis of each lens of the second lens array areoriented parallel to the fast axis; and a condensing lens set disposedbetween the homogenizer and the substrate support along the opticalpath, the condensing lens set comprising at least five spherical lenses.15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the illumination opticscomprises: a set of slow-axis lenses having at least a first cylindricallens and a second cylindrical lens spaced apart from each other, the setof slow-axis lenses collimate laser beam radiation in the slow axis; anda set of fast-axis lenses having at least a first cylindrical lens and asecond cylindrical lens spaced apart from each other, the set offast-axis lenses being disposed between the first and second cylindricallenses of the set of slow-axis lenses to collimate laser beam radiationin the fast axis.
 16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the firstcylindrical lens of the set of slow-axis lenses has a convex lenssurface facing toward the array of laser diode bars and the secondcylindrical lens of the set of slow-axis lenses has a convex lenssurface facing toward the surface of the substrate.
 17. The apparatus ofclaim 14, wherein the first cylindrical lens of the set of fast-axislenses has a concave lens surface facing toward the array of laser diodebars and the second cylindrical lens of the set of fast-axis lenses hasa convex lens surface facing toward the surface of the substrate. 18.The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the set of slow-axis and fast-axislenses have optical prescription shown in Table 1 (L2-L5) of thespecification.
 19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first andsecond lens array of cylindrical lenses have optical prescription shownin Table 2 of the specification.
 20. The apparatus of claim 14, whereinthe condensing lens set has optical prescription shown in Table 3(L1-L5) and Table 4 of the specification.